Should I get a Fitness Tracker?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few years, you’ve seen fitness trackers on wrists everywhere: coworkers, friends, family, and fellow gym goers. You also probably hear people discussing their “steps” and how far they are from reaching their daily goals. What exactly are these devices and what do they track?

Fitness trackers track a variety of things like your steps, heart rate, sleep, and calorie consumption. They have motion sensors in them that track your movements, whether that’s walking, jogging, running, or just being still. This data is then transferred to and stored in an app that keeps track of your steps, heart rate, sleep, and calories consumed for each day.

There are people that swear by these little devices and people that think they’re a gimmick. You’re probably asking yourself, “should I get a fitness tracker?” We’ll go over the benefits, if they’re really worth it and how Plunkett Fitness compares to a fitness tracker.

Benefits to using a fitness tracker

As we discussed above, fitness trackers keep track of a variety of things that can evaluate your overall health. What are some of the benefits of tracking your fitness, calories and health through a tracker?

Personalization – Because your tracker imports data to an app, everything can be personalized from your goal weight to your daily calorie intake.

Accountability – This goes hand in hand with goal tracking; because your movements are recorded, if you haven’t met your daily goal you’re reminded and are held accountable to take the extra steps to meeting those goals.

Convenience – It’s easy to glance down at your wrist to see how many steps you are from reaching your goals versus digging out your phone and opening an app.

Do you really need a fitness tracker?

While we love the idea of fitness trackers, they’re definitely not necessary when trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Yes, they do have several benefits and can help you stay on track when it comes to fitness goals, but you don’t need to purchase one. Why?

Everything that can be tracked through a fitness tracker can be tracked through an app or by a personal trainer. There are many free and inexpensive apps that can do the same things that trackers can do: count calorie consumption, calories burned, track weight loss, etc. Now, we’re not saying not to purchase one, but it’s not necessary.

How does Plunkett Fitness compare to a fitness tracker?

At Plunkett Fitness, you can think of your personal trainer as your fitness tracker but with additional benefits. Before you even begin exercising with your personal trainer, we always conduct a fitness assessment where we’ll discuss your general fitness level, nutrition habits and your goals, similar to a fitness tracker.

We also create a customized nutrition and workout plan, something that a fitness tracker can’t do. Your personal trainer will choose workouts that are best for your current fitness level while keeping your goals in mind. They’ll also help guide you on a path to healthier eating by discussing foods you should and shouldn’t consume. Again, something that fitness trackers aren’t capable of.

Most importantly, your personal trainer will be your workout buddy, walking you through each exercise and helping you achieve perfect form. While you can track exercise through a fitness tracker, they don’t help guide you through your workouts and help you perfect your form.

If you have any questions about one-on-one personal training here at Plunkett Fitness, please contact our team. Our personal training program is designed to achieve maximum results based on your individual goals and we’re here to help you achieve them! If you’re not sure what to expect at a personal training session and feel a little intimidated, please take a look at our blog post where we walk you through the entire process. Still not sure about giving it a try? We’re currently offering one FREE week of personal training for new guests! Call (913) 390-3360 or sign up here to get started!